


I Don't See what Anyone Sees in Anyone Else (but you)

by ellay_gee



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: BAMF Prompto Argentum, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Strong Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26743483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellay_gee/pseuds/ellay_gee
Summary: This summer was supposed to be fun, but instead it's full of meetings and lameness. Noctis is stressed dealing with his increasing responsibilities and Prompto...well Prompto hasn't been really answering his texts lately, and has blown him off a few times.Written for the 2020 Promptis Big Bang
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 11
Kudos: 118
Collections: Promptis Big Bang 2020





	I Don't See what Anyone Sees in Anyone Else (but you)

**Author's Note:**

> @Feleeiz made some lovely art to go along with this story, check them out on twitter! (I will try to fix the link in a bit, I can't get it working). I also want to thank Kaciart for being my muse and idea-bouncing partner, Gnine for beta reading and msC for always listening to me whine about stuff and things.
> 
> also, I hope the mods of the event don't get mad, but I'm cutting it close to the wire and this was going to be separated into 3 chaps, but I think it's just gonna have to stay one for now.

**_Noctis Lucis Caelum, the crown prince of Insomnia and next in line for the throne, had quite the conundrum on his hands. You see, he had recently realized a few things about himself; things that could possibly put him at odds not only with his father, but the kingdom itself. And, as we know from previous experience, Noctis Lucis Caelum is nothing short of a chaotic dumbass with poor social skills. Let’s just say this is going less than well for him._ **

Noctis groaned to himself. Yet _another_ nine-hour council session. So far this summer has been the absolute worst.

Here he was, fresh out of high school, getting ready for college. He thought he’d be free of responsibility for a while. Thought he’d get to spend the sweltering summer months tucked away safe from the heat in his own apartment, chilling with a certain freckled blonde. 

But no. Duty calls. He had to learn to be a King.

He couldn’t see Prompto as often as he liked; hell, he couldn’t go outside as often as he liked, and Ignis damn sure wasn’t letting him sleep late. Not even a little. Nope. Not poor ol’ Noctis. Has to get up at the ass crack of 8 am and then attend stupid meetings all day.

Did he mention about not being able to see Prompto?

He huffed to himself as he made his way out of the shower, where he had definitely _thought_ about Prompto. Scooping up his phone, he plopped—still clad in only a towel—onto his bed. He swiped it open, thumb immediately jabbing the messages icon to see if Prompto had answered the totally cool, _very_ nonchalant “hey, good morning bro” he’d sent before he’d lugged himself into his bathroom to start his day.

Eying the message with a frown, he noted that the text had yet to be seen.

Unbidden, but not unwarranted, a nervous chill spread through his chest.

This was the second day in a row that Prompto had not responded to a message within 30 minutes. Not that he _had_ to. Hell, usually Prompto had already sent him 12 pictures of adorable animals and cool plants taken during his morning run long before Noctis had woken.

He quickly scrolled back. Yep. It has been almost two weeks since Prompto last sent him a photo of a cute dog. He was leaving his prince bereft.

Chuckling to himself, Noctis sent the sentiment along to the blonde with a winky-face emoji to let him know he was totally kidding. It didn’t bother him at all that his ~~crush~~ friend hadn’t even bothered to open his message and give it a glance. Nope.

A knock sounded at his door not four seconds later, followed by the mildly irritated voice of Ignis. “You should already be dressed and prepared to go, Your Highness.”

Noctis grunted in response, which was the same as no response, which means that Ignis quickly invited himself in the room to glower. “You need to get out of bed, Noct. I have better things to do than get you dressed for the day.”

Noctis sighed dramatically, but kept his eyes firmly trained on the ceiling above his bed. “Ignis, have you ever been in love?”

That…was not what the advisor had expected. Briefly he wondered where this could be coming from. Noctis had never expressed an interest in anyone. Ignis couldn’t even recall the prince going on a date other than a single disastrous school dance experience. In fact, outside of himself and Gladiolus, Prompto was the only person he spent any time with…

His eyebrows raised in sudden understanding. He’d suspected for a while that Noctis wasn’t exactly _straight_ , but he’d never expressed an interest in anyone, so he had thought the teen was ace.

“How long have you known?” He asks instead of answering Noctis.

“That I was gay, or that I liked Prompto?”

The advisor sighs, crossing his arms and leaning up against the wall. “The Prompto part.”

Noctis flushed and stuttered a bit. “I mean, I don’t know how long I’ve _known_ , you know? Like, I realized it a little while back, and I’ve been thinking about it, and I think that I’ve known for a lot longer than I realized. Does that make sense?”

Ignis gives his prince a soft smile. “Emotionally, yes. Grammatically, no. In either case, there’s no time to mull. Be ready to leave in ten minutes.”

Noctis flailed above his head to find a pillow to smother his groan as Ignis left to go do Ignis things. This was going to be a long day. 

* * *

“…on the agenda next is supplies for the outskirt towns still loyal to Lucis even while under the thumb of the Empire.”

Noctis tried not to yawn. He tried SO HARD. He then tried to stifle a yelp when Ignis stepped on his foot none-too-gently, but failed that as well.

Luckily his father simply cleared his throat and called a quick recess.

In the hall, Noctis slipped away from Ignis before he could start a lecture and made haste in the opposite direction from the older, stodgier members of the council, ducking into an alcove to check his phone.

Though there were no new messages, his had finally been seen by Prompto.

And he was leaving him on read.

What

The

Actual

Fuck

?????

A quick rage burned through Noctis as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. Fine, if Prompto didn’t have time for him, maybe he didn’t have time for Prompto!

As quick as the thoughts came, he shoved them aside. His friend had never acted this way before. He was probably very busy. Too busy even to tell Noctis what he was doing.

That was fine. Totally fine.

Just in case, Noctis whipped his phone back out and quickly checked a few apps.

No new photos on Insomnigram.

No new posts on YouFace.

No new videos on ClokBlok.

Well, at least Prompto wasn’t just ignoring him. The world at large seemed to be missing his presence.

Well, at least Noctis was. 

The pointed clearing of a throat nearby alerted Noctis to Ignis’s looming figure, and he at least had the presence of mind to _look_ contrite as he shuffled over to the advisor.

“I got a lot on my mind, Specs. If you could save whatever ‘you have to do better’ speech you’ve got ready to go for later, I’d appreciate it.”

Ignis pressed his lips into a thin line, narrowing his eyes behind his glasses. “The longer you keep the council waiting, the longer the process will drag on. It’s _scheduled_ for nine hours, but can easily go late into the evening if all the items on the agenda are not reviewed. You simply cannot put off matters of state, Noctis.”

The prince sighed, dragging a tired hand through his hair. “Yeah, fine. You’re right.”

He fell in step next to Ignis as they headed back toward the council chambers, a little slower than necessary.

“Next to be discussed are the blockades between Garex and what is left of Pallinor. Have you read the reports from the front lines there?”

Noctis nods absently, much to Ignis’s annoyance. (and a little to his worry) 

They’re getting closer to a knot of other council members, most of whom the prince does not care for. They were more of the conservative type that had very little patience for change or progress. Seeing them, Ignis lowers his tone and turns to face the prince. “If you like, when the meeting is over we can go back to yours and discuss this.” 

Noctis came to a full stop outside the doors and waited until the other members had entered the chamber before turning to face Ignis. The prince would not meet his eyes, instead staring at some spot on the wall by the large double doors while he bounced lightly on the balls of his feet. “I want to tell him.”

Ignis pursed his lips, biting back a frown. “Noctis, let’s talk about this later. There are important matters to attend to that unfortunately take precedence over this.”

Noctis snorts despite his racing heart at admitting his feelings aloud. “C’mon, Dad’s gonna kill us if we don’t get back in there.”

Ignis nods along, gesturing Noctis to go in ahead of him. “Yes, of that I am certain.”

* * *

Back in the chambers, Noctis is having a less-than-stellar time. He’s keyed up and ready for the day to be over. His anxiety has gotten so bad that even his father has taken notice and has been casting him concerned glances.

Councilman Roth was an _asshole_. Noctis had known this since he was a small child; the man always had a dour expression, and quite delighted in the suffering of others. He always voted against every program put forth to help the people of Insomnia and Eos at large.

It was no surprise to Noctis that the man would try to goad him into yet another argument. So far in the last two months since Noctis has been attending the council meetings, they’ve had seven verbal throw-downs over various subjects ranging from public assistance funds for the refugee committee to the removal of the Ebony machines from the Citadel cafeteria.

He was a ridiculous man with ridiculous notions and ridiculous hair.

So _of_ _course_ he’d be the one to bring it up. Of course he would. Today of all days the man picked out of his hat of torments to bring up Noctis getting married and ascending the throne.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

“…next on the agenda is Ascension. With all due respect, the Crystal is taking its toll on you, Your Majesty. Noctis getting up in his years—“

Ignis stiffened next to the prince, ready to console or restrain him, depending on how the young man reacted. “That’s not listed on the agenda—“ he states indignantly, while at the same time Noctis jumps to his feet.

“ _Ex_ cuse me; I’m not even nineteen yet.” Noctis interjects from where he stands between the king and Ignis.

“Yes, and it’s quite obvious that King Regis waiting so long to have you—“

Noctis’s cheeks flush as he lets his anger get the better of his composure. He leans forward, placing clenched fists on the desk in front of him and sputters: “He was _thirty_!”

Beside him, Regis sighs. He looks tired and put-upon and not the least bit surprised by the turn of conversation. “Noctis, please settle down.” 

Councilman Roth was not impressed with Noctis’s outrage. “The people of Insomnia need a monarch, Your Highness. Your line is the only one that can wear the ring without immediate maiming or death. Without the ring, we do not have a wall. Without a wall, countless people will perish at the claws and teeth of daemons. Unless Regis is planning on contributing another heir to the line, we need to start considering your match and—“

Noctis laughed a little hysterically. “You’re talking about _breeding_ me. What the fuck is wrong with you? I’m not some godsdamned prized garula!”

“Noctis, that is enough!” His father barked, startling the prince into silence.

“You’re on their side?” Noctis hissed, his rage turned upon his father. “You’re ok with this discussion? He’s basically talking about putting you out to pasture!”

Regis rolls his eyes, much to the delight of Councilman Roth. “That’s not what is going on here, Noct. You have to understand—“

“I understand that the _agenda_ for today is to discuss your inevitable death and my passing on my sperm into some unwitting pawn in a bullshit political game!”

“Noctis, don’t be so crass. You knew this day would be coming at some point.”

Noctis can’t help it. The dam inside him breaks and he’s flooded with a sadness so profound he cannot keep tears from springing to his eyes. “I just…I thought I’d have more time.”

The chamber is silent as the king regards his son sadly. “That’s one thing we Caelums never have, Noctis. Time is not on our side.”

The prince swallows hard, shaking his head. “I can’t deal with this right now.”

Regis stands, grabbing hold of Noctis’s arm and pulling him close. “You cannot leave this chamber in a huff, Noctis. That’s not how a king behaves. He does not run from hard conversations. He faces his fears and his follies head on.”

Noctis pulls out of his grip, eyes shining with unshed tears. “Good thing I’m just a prince, then.” He murmurs and then strides out of the chamber, leaving the hushed whispers of the council and his father’s pained stare in his wake.

* * *

Noctis paced the length of his room, taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart. He’d locked himself in, refusing entry even to Ignis and Gladiolus. His chest burned horribly as he fought the tears that wouldn’t quit threatening to spill.

_in two three_

He loved _Prompto_. Sure he may have only just recently figured it out, but he was sure of it as he was anything in this world. Prompto was who he wanted to spend his life with.

_out two three_

But he was a prince. There were expectations set for him.

_in two three_

He _had_ to procreate. It was the only way to keep everyone safe. It was the only thing keeping Niflheim at bay. His line was cursed in service to Eos and her people.

_out two three thisisnthelping_

His dad was gonna die and then _he’d be king._

_in two three_

He had to take a wife.

_out two three_

He had to make a baby.

_in_

He had to…

_out_

He had to—

_in_

He had to get the _fuck_ out of there!

* * *

**From Strangers to Acquaintances**

**_Ignis posed an interesting question to our young prince, earlier. Let’s rewind now, shall we? Let’s go back to where it all began, see for ourselves just how Past Prompto and Past Noctis dealt with their ever-growing-but-largely-ignored feelings for one another. Perhaps Present Prompto and Present Noctis can learn a thing or two from them._ **

It is September 9th, and Noctis Caelum—the raven-haired, stormy-eyed heir to the throne of Lucis and all-around sullen teen—is freshly fifteen and finishing his first day of high school. He sighs to himself as he traverses down the walkway, simply glad the whole ordeal is over. Until tomorrow, of course.

This first day proved to be just as much a challenge as he suspected. The summer break between middle and high school was not long nor restful enough for his taste, and the stress of the first day—spent mostly avoiding talking to the increasingly intrusive students--was really getting to him by the end of it. 

Which is, of course, when another student decided to approach him. He’s a little surprised to find that it happened to be one Prompto Argentum. 

The freckled blonde seemed to have lost a bit of his baby fat and hit a growth spurt over the summer. He was still shorter than Noct by a few bare (but nonetheless important) centimeters, but had thinned out considerably and was now lithe where he used to be stocky. 

The prince spied the nervous blonde out of the corner of his eye, bracing for his approach. Throughout their middle school years, the kid had been on the fringes of Noctis’s existence; always fiddling with that camera of his—but it was never pointed at him; not like the other students who would surreptitiously snap pics with their phones and spread them around social media. 

No, Prompto Argentum was painfully polite and horrendously shy. He stuttered when called on in class and blushed when the other kids laughed at him. Outright bullying was not tolerated in their schools, but the teachers couldn’t stop the giggles and small whispered slights. 

But for all these drawbacks, the boy always seemed cheerful--always enthusiastic when paired with someone as a lab partner, always volunteered to feed the class pet. An all around sweet kid. 

Which is why it surprised Noctis that after the final bell rang and he was walking the designated route to his waiting car that said sweet, shy blonde rushed up to him, had the _audacity_ to slap the back of his shoulder _pretty hard_ and introduce himself like they’d never met. 

But as they fell in step with one another—Prompto nervously asking him if he played _King’s Knight_ (which hell yes he did) and Noctis asking the blonde’s opinion about the most recent horror flick (he was suitably terrified) and so on until they reached the waiting (decidedly nonplussed) driver—Noctis couldn’t help but feel something stirring in his chest. 

All the other kids who had dared speak to him had asked him probing questions about his life in the citadel as the prince, but not this fresh-faced freckled nerd. It was the first real conversation Noct had had all day, and he was sorry to see it end when he inevitably had to get in the car and leave the other boy behind, waving from the street, a cheesy grin plastered across his face. 

* * *

Prompto legit ran all the way home. Once the prince’s car turned the corner, a surge of adrenaline and general feeling of _ohshitIreallydidthatItalkedtotheprinceholysixabove_ hit him and the only thing his body knew to do was run.

He slammed the door behind him, chest heaving and hands shaking. He let out a breathy sigh and a quick “I’m home” to the empty house before depositing his book bag on the couch on his way to his bedroom to change out of his uniform. 

He made an afternoon snack and headed back to the living room. He dumped his school books on the coffee table and sifted through the jumbled mess, pulling out a notebook and pen.

~~_Dearest Lunafreya_ _,_ ~~

~~_Dear Luna_ _,_ ~~

_Lady Lunafreya,_

_I did it! I cannot thank you enough for suggesting that I talk to Prince Noctis. You were right, he is a nice person, and we have some things in common, which is super cool! He sure does have a lot on his shoulders._ ~~_He seems very lonely_~~ _. I hope that he likes me enough to count me as a friend. He laughed at my lame joke, which I think is good. Or maybe he was just being nice? I’m sure he’s had lessons and stuff in politeness, so maybe he was just being nice…? Now I’m not sure. Maybe I should just see if he wants to talk to me tomorrow. We have our core classes together—imagine that; me smart enough to be in the advanced classes with him and those other nobles that have had all the fancy tutors! I guess not really having much to do other than study sure pays off! Or maybe someone mixed up my test scores. Who knows?_

_Anyway, I’m rambling now. Please forgive me. And tell Tiny (I know her name is Pryna, but she’ll always be Tiny to me!) that I say hello. Give her lots of ear scritches for me!_

~~_Your friend_ ~~

_Sincerely,_

_Prompto Argentum_

When Prompto was done with the letter, he read it an additional four times before carefully folding it up and walking it back to his room. Sliding his desk drawer open, he placed the letter with the dozen or so others he’d written over the summer and never sent. 

* * *

The next morning, Noctis was posted up—casually, totally nonchalantly—by the front doors of the science building where he and Prompto had biochem together. He was surrounded by girls who stood a few feet away—obviously wishing to engage him in conversation, but too scared to start speaking first—and a few nobles he grew up around but did not care for. Two of the noble boys were discussing the short skirts of the nearby girls and Noctis was doing his best to ignore them. 

He perked up when a familiar tuft of blonde hair surfaced in the crowd—Prompto was hard to miss; though not the only blonde (read: refugee) in school, he was the only one in their grade, and he was the only kid in school who ran like a madman through the campus to get to class on time. 

Noctis disengaged from the conversation happening around him and waved at Prompto to get his attention before he rushed through the doors.

“Where’s the fire? We’ve got like ten minutes.” Noctis bumped the other boy’s shoulder playfully with his own as they made their way into the building. 

“I just,” Prompto huffed, “...yah know...make it on time.” The blonde puffed out his cheeks and put his hands on his hips, face red with exertion. “Dad always says that being ten minutes early is basically the same as being five minutes late.”

Noctis lifted an eyebrow, snorting softly. “What about your other classes? How can you be ten minutes early to all of them if there’s only five minutes between bells?”

“I have it on good authority that if you run _reallyreallyreally_ fast, you’ll move through time.” Prompto dropped into his seat, jabbing his thumb back at himself. “And _I’ve_ been practicing.”

“So what I'm hearing is that you’re The Flash.” Noctis sat on the top of the desk in front of Prompto's, feet in the seat as he gazed down at the other boy. 

The blonde quickly shook his head, leaning back in his chair. “I’m definitely not saying that. I’m just saying you never see The Flash and me in the same room at the same time.”

Noctis let out an undignified snort that definitely drew the attention of the two noble boys who’d just entered the classroom. The newcomers looked at the prince and his companion oddly before rolling their eyes at each other and selecting seats on the other side of the room. 

Prompto and Noctis exchanged a look and burst into laughter. “You’re an interesting guy, Prompto.” 

The blonde gave him a grin that was somewhere between cocky and awkward. “Well, stick around, Noct—I promise to put on a hell of a show.”

The prince’s ears reddened at the use of his nickname—usually only those close to him used the moniker, but when Prompto said it, it felt right. 

“I plan to, Prom. Don’t disappoint.”

Prompto waggled his eyebrows just as the rest of the students started trickling in. “Oh, I won’t.” 

Two weeks later finds both boys suspended for two days due to an experiment gone terribly terribly wrong...or maybe a prank gone very very right—it depends on who you ask. At any rate, school was cancelled for the rest of that day because of the smell, and the science building itself was closed for an entire week for cleaning and decontamination. 

Prompto and Noctis were hailed as heroes by the students, but weren’t permitted to talk to each other for a week by their parents. As for the teachers, word got around and for the rest of their school days they were never paired together for any project again. 

* * *

**From Acquaintances to Friends**

In private, the king had had quite the chuckle about the whole science project debacle, so getting Prompto clearance to visit the Citadel was surprisingly easy. 

It is now mid-October and the air is getting crisp. Prompto showed up wearing a plain gray hoodie and the only pair of jeans that Noctis had seen thus far that didn’t have some sort of wild print or artful rips. He bounced from foot to foot as Noctis led him through the halls, closely followed by a stone-faced Crownsguard. 

“Let’s see, there’s not a whole lot of places we can hang out—mostly you have clearance to go to the same areas the elementary school kids get to see on their field trips here, minus the council halls. But, we can go to the kitchens and grab some food and eat in the gardens when we get snacky, so there’s that.”

Prompto just grinned and nodded along, too nervous to make much conversation. Noctis may not have known Prompto super well yet, but one thing he was certain of was that his chatterbox friend would find his voice eventually, so he didn’t take the silence personally. 

“But first,” Noctis looped his arm with his friend’s, ignoring the warning grumble from behind them, “we go to the training grounds.”

Noctis led the way through multiple halls and down two flights of stairs to a vast space beneath the citadel that made up the gym, pool, recruit housing, gun range and several other similarly designated areas for specialized training. 

A hulking figure whistled to them from the free-weights area when they passed. His close-cropped black hair was drenched in sweat as was his very-bare-and-very-muscle-y chest. He sported a lopsided grin on his face, but the hard look in his eyes told Prompto it was mostly for show.

“Who’s your friend?” The larger teen asked; all swagger and machismo as he sauntered over to the two. Prompto visibly paled and took a half step behind the prince, much to the newcomer’s amusement.

Noctis huffed and rolled his eyes. “You know very well who it is, it’s not like this visit wasn’t thoroughly planned.” He grumbled, before glancing back at his friend. “Prompto, this is my shield, Gladio. My advisor Ignis is on a training mission outside the wall, so you won’t meet him today.”

The big warrior craned his neck around the prince, giving Prompto a condescending sneer. “Well, come out little guy! No use hiding in Noct’s shadow.”

Prompto huffed and stuttered. “I’m not—“

“Not what? Hiding, or little?” Gladio interrupted, hard amber eyes daring the boy to say something.

Prompto glanced from the warrior to the prince. “Both? Neither?”

The warrior laughed, rolling his eyes a little at Noctis. “You sure know how to pick ‘em there, Princess. What are you two doing skulking about the training grounds anyway?”

Noctis kicked an invisible rock, looking half bored/half annoyed. “Just hanging out.”

Gladio slung his arm around the prince’s shoulders, tugging him toward the mats. Prompto followed helplessly behind.

“Why don’t we see how your new buddy handles himself?” Gladio says as he releases Noctis with a shove that’s just this side of playful.

“What?! No. You’re not going to pick on him like that.” The prince stated, but went ignored.

Gladio rounded on Prompto and sized him up. “You’re kinda scrawny, aren’t ya, kid?”

Prompto’s cheeks pinkened. “I wouldn’t say _scrawny_. I mean, I work out.”

The warrior’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh yeah? Talk to me, what do you do?”

Prompto bit his lip a little. “Well, I run.”

Gladio huffed, circling around the blonde to get a better look. Behind them, Noctis was rolling his eyes, impatient with the antics of his shield. “Running isn’t exactly _working out_. It’s an important part of a routine, but isn’t really the best on its own.”

“And I stretch!” Prompto practically squawked in his embarrassment. “…and like, bodyweight exercises and stuff.”

Gladio leaned down into his space, reaching out and poking him in the shoulder hard enough to make him stagger back just a bit.

“H-hey! What gives, man?” Prompto rubbed at the sore spot, glaring up at Gladio who was clearly enjoying having someone new to pick on.

Barely even acknowledging the indignant blonde, Gladio glanced over his shoulder to where the prince was standing. “Ooh, he’s feisty. But is he strong enough to stand by you, Princess?”

“Fuck off, Gladio.” Noct grumbled, ambling forward intent on rescuing his friend from his so-called brother.

“If he’s going to hang around you, he’s gotta be tough.” Gladio poked Prompto again.

The freckled youth furrowed his brow. “Hey, I’m tough.”

Gladio smiled meanly. “From where I’m standing, you look like a wimp.”

Noctis paused as Prompto actually gods-damned squared up, glaring at the warrior balefully. “Well, from where I’m standing, you look like a giant oaf.”

“Oh, the pipsqueak wounds me!” Gladio laughed, placing his hands on his chest mockingly. “Big words for such a little wimp.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Why don’t you come down here and say that, giant-ass-oaf?”

Gladio rumbled deep in his chest; a predator signaling a last chance at escape to his prey. He leaned down into Prompto’s space again and poked him hard in the chest. “Wimp.”

And that’s when he did it. Prompto hauled back and punched Gladio straight in the nose, wincing when blood sprayed out before the warrior slapped his hand over it and straightened up.

Prompto’s eyes shot between his still-closed fist and the blood leaking down the bigger guy’s chin. “Oh, shit.”

Noctis gulped, echoing the sentiment as he reached out and grabbed Prompto’s shoulder, pulling him out of grasping range of the Crownsguard who strode forward when Prompto swung.

Gladio brought his hand away from his face, staring down at the blood. The training room around them fell completely silent as the recruits and instructors watched the exchange.

Gladio finally looked up to Prompto and his face split in a bloody grin. “I like him, Noct!”

The world around them slowly came back to life as the teens started breathing properly once more. “Y-yeah. Me, too.” Noctis stammered.

The room erupted in applause and cheers that died down as quick as they started when Gladio sent his glare toward the gathered recruits. “Alright, show’s over!” 

Gladio turned back to the two boys—Noct was doing his best to calm the blonde, who looked close to vibrating right out of his skin. 

“...no, you’re not going to get thrown in the dungeons. Gladio is an asshole, he deserved it.” 

“Sir, would you like me to detain the—“

“Prince’s friend?” Gladio cut off the Crownsguard’s offer quickly. “No, Noct’s right. I got what I was asking for.” He waved at the two as he started heading toward the infirmary, grabbing a towel off a bench on his way to help staunch the flow of blood.

The Crownsguard nodded, stepping back and resuming his post. 

“C’mon, Prom, let’s get you something less bloody to wear…” Noctis led his friend to the supply room, grabbing him a trainee hoodie to wear instead of his now-ruined one. 

If Noctis’ throat went a little dry when the plain white tee Prompto was wearing underneath rode up to reveal delightfully muscled abs when he took the soiled garment off, he paid it no mind. 

No sirree, he didn’t think his new friend was attractive, nope. 

Not at all.

* * *

**From Friends to Best Friends**

Nyx was less than impressed to say the least. Before him sat the prince, grinning like an idiot, covered from head-to-toe in what appeared to be some amalgamation of green curry and chocolate pudding. Next to him sat Prompto Argentum, likewise covered in foodstuffs, but at least _he_ had enough decorum to look ashamed of himself.

The Glaive let out a long suffering sigh. “Perhaps you’d better start from the beginning.”

“Aw Nyx, c’mon. We were just having a little fun—” Noctis tried, but sputtered into silence when the glaive gestured for him to stop.

“Not you. I want to hear from your friend.” Nyx shifted in his seat to where he was mostly facing Prompto. The blonde audibly gulped and fiddled with a loose string on his shirt cuff. 

“I-it was my fault, sir—”

“Bullshit.” Noctis coughed beside him.

“ _Noct_ .” Prompto took a deep breath and finally met the glaive’s eyes. “Like I said, it was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and tripped and when I fell, my food went _everywhere_ and people were laughing—well a lot of people were laughing, but this one guy was _pissed-_ uh, I mean, he was very angry—”

“That jerk _tripped_ you—” Noct tried to interject, but Prompto just continued on louder than before. 

“...anyway he was yelling stuff—”

“Slurs.” Noctis scowled. 

“—and I maybe yelled back a little and I thought he was gonna swing on me, but before he could there was a _splat_ and his face was covered in pudding and then I couldn’t help it, I _died_. And then he asked me if I thought it was funny and I said of course I did thus all the laughing and he lunged, but then he slipped on some pudding and hit the ground and someone—”

“Me.” Noctis helpfully supplied

“—yelled FOOD FIGHT and the cafeteria fu- _ahem_ -lost it. There’s sh-tuff _everywhere._ ”

As if to illustrate the point, a glob of curry dropped out of the long bangs at the side of Prompto’s face and fell onto his jacket. He didn’t bother doing anything about it.

Nyx pinched the bridge of his nose. Behind him the principal sighed. “We’ve decided that we will be suspending his highness for the rest of the week. However, young mister Argentum will likely be expelled. The board is reviewing his scholarship this afternoon.”

“You’re what?! That’s not fair! Prompto barely even participated; he’s the _victim_ for six's sake!”

“There are very strict rules regarding behavior for the scholarship students, and this is his second infraction—”

“Bullshit!” Noctis exploded, completely bypassing Nyx’s protective stance and slamming his hands down on the principal’s desk. “If you kick him out, I’m damn sure leaving—”

“Language, Highness.” Nyx muttered from behind him but made no other move to stop his tirade. 

“If anyone should be suspended, it’s that racist asshole. Your ‘zero tolerance’ on bullying sure does have a blind eye when a refugee kid is involved; don’t think I haven’t noticed just because Prom here usually gets a pass because he’s my best friend. In fact, I think I will talk to my father about this—”

The principal blanched, audibly swallowing. “There’s certainly no need for that, Highness—”

“I don’t think that if this racist policy continues that I can stay at this school, especially considering I’m the one who started the food fight and you’re what? Not punishing me at all. That’s ridiculous. With my connections, it’s not like I have to attend an actual high school—”

Noctis could see the realization dawn on the principal; the loss of additional funding and publicity—the prestige—for having the heir to the throne attend their school.

“Let’s not be hasty, Prince Noctis. How about we all just simmer down a little. There’s no ...permanent damage to the facilities and no one was hurt. I think that I can persuade the board to reduce the punishment for Mr. Argentum to a suspension instead of an expulsion. With probation.” 

Noctis smirked down at the school official. “And?”

The principal returned his glare before letting out an indignant huff. “And we’ll look into the bullying issue. I believe the other student may need to be suspended as well.”

Noctis straightened up and gave the principal a bright smile. “Great! That’s something we can work with. C’mon Prom, let’s go play video games or something.” He turned heel and headed out the door, expecting Prompto and Nyx to follow. Which they did. 

Once they were outside, Prompto launched himself at Noctis and hugged him fiercely. “Did you mean what you said, bro?”

Noct clapped him on the back before letting him go. “About quitting school if they kicked you out? Hell yeah I did.”

Prompto pinkened considerably. “Uh, well yeah, but more about the ‘best friends’ part. Am I really your best friend? I-I mean _of course_ you’re _my_ best friend, but like...I didn’t know I was _your_ best friend. I figured you probably had lots of friends outside of school and like one of them was your best friend…” he trailed off looking sheepish, rubbing the back of his head and continuing toward where their lockers were located. 

“After that badass speech, _that’s_ your takeaway? Duh of course you're my best friend. There’s not one noble kid that is half as cool as you. I’m honestly surprised you want to hang around me. It’s not easy being a friend to royalty.”

Prompto grinned at him shyly. “I don’t really think of it like that. Like I know you’re the prince and all, but you’re just ...really nice and really cool and such a dork at the same time.”

Nyx cleared his throat behind them. “Yes yes, we’re all besties forever; now get your books so I can go back to my real life.”

Both boys sputtered to silence, red-faced and twitching. 

Nyx rolled his eyes as he prompted them to continue. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

**The First Fallout**

**_Friendship was new to both boys when they first embarked on this journey together, and there were of course trials and tribulations, but by and large they just clicked and there was nothing that could separate them._ **

**** **_Except boundaries. Boundaries separate by definition._ **

Noctis was feeling some type of way. For days he’d been stuck inside his apartment with nothing but his thoughts.

They were decidedly not good company. 

Ever since he’d moved into his apartment, his father had been practically living inside his ass. He was calling every five minutes, had stopped by (with a full complement of soldiers) six times in two months and —the final straw— had _ordered him pizza._ Without asking. 

With _onions_ on it. What in the actual fuck?

Noct → brooo i have gross pizza, wanna come by?

Noct→ it’s got healthy shit on it just like you like 

Thanks for the offer, but I just made this delicious instant ramen ← Prompto

img.jpg ← Prompto

Look at that freeze dried shrimp. You don’t get fancier than that. ← Prompto 

Noct → that’s somehow more disgusting than the onions on my pizza 

Thanks? ← Prompto

ლ(´ڡ`ლ) ← Prompto

Noctis → C’mon, come over

Noctis → It’s a 3 day weekend

Noctis → It’s not like your parents are home

Haha would if I could but I can’t ← Prompto

I have like a metric ass-ton of homework ← Prompto

And a shift at Coffee Hut in the morning ← Prompto

We can chill on Monday! ← Prompto

Noctis→ laaaaame

Says the dude who needs me for entertainment ← Prompto 

Noctis → I wouldn’t say i NEED you

Noctis → it’s just better when you’re here vs when you’re not 

I think u need to look up the def of need, bro ← Prompto

Noctis → ur the worst 

You misspelled B-E-S-T again, Noct ← Prompto

Maybe we should plan to do studying instead of gaming on Mon ← Prompto

Noctis → Treasoner

Noctis → Treasonist…?

The prince watches the screen eagerly for a few moments, but when there’s no tell-tale dot-dot- _dots_ signifying Prompto continuing the conversation, he drops the phone to his chest and lets out a blustery sigh. 

He had to get out of his own head. Maybe Prompto couldn’t come to him, but he could go to Prompto. Surely his best bud wouldn’t object to Noctis just occupying the same room as him, even if they weren’t doing the same thing. Right?

Right.

Decision made, he snagged up his Switch, controllers and a few games and tossed them into a bag. He quickly dresses in bulky black clothes and steps out onto his balcony. Using one of the knives from the kitchen as a focus point, he begins a glimmering journey across Insomnia to pay his friend an in-person visit.

* * *

Ignis tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator rose to the penthouse suite. Noctis had been ignoring his calls and messages for hours now, and it was getting on his very last nerve.

The deal was that when the prince moved into his own apartment, he’d respond to his father and Ignis no matter what. It was the one condition he had to abide by to live on his own, and he was already failing it not two months in.

Ignis _knew_ it would be a bad idea. That little friend of his was probably in there with him, eating junk food and playing games when the prince should be studying for his upcoming exams.

He did not share Gladio’s fondness for the youth. Though he supposed that wasn’t entirely fair since he’d not yet actually _met_ the boy; from what he’s heard he’s not formed a positive opinion.

Class clown. Parents out of town much of the time. Lives in what could be considered a “good neighborhood” on the wrong side of the tracks. The way he immediately latched onto the prince at the first opportunity.

Ignis swept out of the elevator before the doors had fully opened and strode down the short hall to the prince’s door.

He rap-rap- _rapped_ , but only waited the barest of moments before producing his own key and letting himself inside.

“Noctis?” He called, toeing off his shoes and taking in the mess. Take-out containers were spread out across the coffee table along with several soda cans at various levels of emptiness.

He wandered through the apartment, calling to the prince while noting the messes. Sink of dirty dishes. Untouched—but still warm—pizza on the counter (he shoved that into the fridge, which was a horror show he had to quickly compartmentalize). Towels on bathroom floor; the room itself smelled of mildew. Piles of clothes and more food containers and drinks strewn haphazardly around the bedroom.

How could one teenager create this much chaos in two months?

The prince was definitely not home, but security didn’t report him leaving the building, so how..?

—yes of course, the balcony door is slightly ajar. Only one knife has been removed from the professional chef’s block Ignis had gifted to the prince upon moving in.

Ignis whipped out his phone and bypassed Noctis’s contact info to get to a newer addition.

Ignis→ Good evening, I need to get in contact with the prince.

New phone, who dis? ←P.Argentum

Ignis→ I am the prince’s advisor, Ignis Scientia.

Doubt it bro ←P.Argentum

If you were really the great and powerful Iggy, you’d have that info ←P.Argentum

It’s like his job and stuff ←P.Argentum

Ignis→ I apologize for not making your acquaintance prior to this, but I assure you this is no joke. I have been attempting to contact His Highness and am unable to reach him.

On the off chance you are who you say you are ←P.Argentum

Which I totes doubt BTW ←P.Argentum

I will say that I’ve texted with him recently, but he’s not here so I can’t help you ←P.Argentum

And if you’re not who you say you are ←P.Argentum

Just know I’m gonna turn over this convo and your contact info ←P.Argentum

to the real Ignis ←P.Argentum

and I hear he’s terrifying ←P.Argentum

Ignis→ Just see that you reach out to me directly should the prince contact you

Yeah, I’ll get right on that, bro lol ←P.Argentum

Sighing, Ignis put his phone away. He supposed he understood—perhaps even appreciated—the boy’s handling of the conversation as he’d never been introduced and never shared his contact information prior to this interaction.

Ignis quickly put his shoes on and got back in the elevator. He had a feeling that Prompto was covering for Noctis, and he was going to find out if he’s right.

And if he is, there is going to be hell to pay.

* * *

“Noct, what are you doing here? It’s almost nine!” Prompto’s squawks at him from the crack the chain on the door allows for. Not waiting for an answer, the blonde quickly closes the door again, sliding the lock out of place and opening up to usher the raven haired teen inside. He shuffled in the doorway for a second, peering into the darkness.

“I came alone.” Noct replied to the silent query and Prompto shut the door, locking it back up swiftly. 

“Not that I’m not happy to see you, but bro what’s up? Is everything ok?”

Noct gave his friend a shaky grin. All the warping has him feeling a little drained, but he does his best to push the fatigue aside. “Yeah, I just really wanted to see you was all. Since you had all the studying to do, I thought I’d come to you and just like hang out or help you or whatever.”

Prompto smiled a little wanly. “Noct, you can’t just come by unannounced, what if my parents had been here? I can just see my dad freaking out, opening the door to a winded prince on his front porch—”

“Like he’d even be here.” Noctis clearly grumbles, but when Prompto pauses and gives him the chance to cover his ass by asking him to repeat himself, Noctis grabs it willingly and smiles and says he hadn’t thought of that and apologizes for not taking it into consideration.

Prompto sighs, rolls his eyes fondly and leads Noctis to the living room where he has all his stuff spread out. He pushes the prince over to an armchair before he wedges himself back in between the coffee table and couch.

He’s got quite an elaborate set-up going—laptop directly in front of him, the cord to it plugged in across the room. On his left are his Lucien history and Literature textbooks; on his right sits a pile of index cards, several pens and highlighters and two spiral notebooks. The couch cushions were all also covered in books, except one cushion with a tray of cheese crackers, grapes and a glass of water perched precariously on it.

“You’re welcome to make yourself a snack—there’s not much, I gotta do the shopping tomorrow—but you can have whatever. Make yourself at home, but keep quiet, kay?” Prompto barely glanced at him from where he was already getting back to work.

Noctis hummed his assent and made his way into the kitchen where he sloppily made a bologna sandwich and grabbed one of the least gross-looking off-brand diet sodas from the fridge and made his way back into the living room.

“Anything I can help with?” He asked around a mouthful of meat and bread.

Prompto lifted an eyebrow, looking pointedly at him. “I scored higher than you on the last round of exams.”

Noctis grinned. “Yeah, but only by a little.”

“Still.”

“It’s all good; I’ll just sit over here and work on my island.” He pulled his Switch out of his bag and made quick work of attaching it to the TV. “It’s been awhile, my villagers are all going to be passive-aggressive assholes.”

Prompto snorted from behind his computer. Then, a second later— “Oh shit, you coming over completely threw me off. I got the weirdest text right before you got here from someone claiming to be your advisor. Like _he’d_ ever contact me.”

Noctis raised his eyebrows. “What was the number?”

Prompto shrugged and distractedly tossed his phone in the direction of the prince. “See for yourself.”

Noctis quickly thumbed through the conversation before bursting into laughter. “Bro, you just ‘new phone, who dis’-ed Ignis. _And_ called him terrifying to his face. Hilarious.”

Prompto stopped his typing on the keyboard and slowly extended his spine up until he was meer-catting over the screen. “Say what now?”

“This is definitely Ignis’s number. He’s pissed because I won’t answer his texts.”

“Tell me you’re fucking with me. I thought it was some dummy from school trying to get your number. Or, you know, like a kidnapper or something who thinks I’m stupid enough to give out your info to any asshole who texts me.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he took it as a compliment.”

But Prompto was shaking his head, muttering to himself that he’s going to get arrested for kidnapping the prince. Noctis was going to laugh at him until he saw how white he turned when there was an insistent knock at the front door.

Prompto struggled to his feet, casting an angry glare Noctis’s way. “If that’s Ignis and he’s mad at _me_ , I’m kicking your ass.”

“Uhh…” Noctis trailed off dumbly as Prompto strode to the front door, peeking through a side window before turning back to the prince.

“Well, fuck.” Prompto steeled himself before swinging open the door.

“Ignis Scientia, I presume?” He said grandly—if a bit nervously—giving the new arrival his best fake smile.

Nonplussed, Ignis simply nodded. “I suppose you’re Prompto Argentum, then.”

The blonde nodded along, gesturing for the advisor to come in. “You’d suppose correctly.”

In the living room, Noctis had thrown himself back in his chair in a sulk.

Ignis glances between the two boys and the TV before finally clearing his throat, obviously perturbed with the prince’s lack of acknowledgement. “Right, well then, it’s time to go. Gather your things—“ here, he gives Prompto a pointed look— “so we can go back to your apartment and have a long discussion about responsibility.”

“No thanks.” Noctis mutters, not glancing up from his game.

Ignis narrowed his eyes and drew himself up a bit more. “I’ve no time for games, Highness. We need to get you back to where you belong.”

“Excuse me—“ Prompto tried to interject, but suddenly Noctis was standing and raising his voice at Ignis.

“I’m not playing any games!”

“What do you call this?” Ignis gestured at the Animal Crossing pause screen.

“You know what I mean.” The prince spat back as he clenched his hands at his sides.

“I won’t ask you again; gather your things and get in the car.”

Noctis crossed his arms defiantly. “No.”

Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose. “Noctis, you are the Crown Prince. You can’t just go gallivanting off to the slums whenever you wish.”

“Hey, this isn’t the slums!” Prompto objected, but once again went ignored.

“I’m _sixteen_ , Ignis! I should be allowed to hang out with my friends when I want to!”

“You have responsibilities, Noct! You can’t just be a normal teenager, you know this!”

Noctis sputtered, incensed. “Sometimes I wish people would just treat me more like Prompto. No one gives a damn about him or what he does.”

Noctis _knows_. He knows it was the wrong thing to say the moment the words are out of his mouth, but it’s too late. The utter devastation that wrecks his best friend’s face will haunt him for years to come.

The expression was gone as fast as it had come, the other boy rearranging his features into something stoic, but somehow still seething.

“Get out.” He says it low, with quiet authority, and both the others immediately fall to stillness.

A single tear slips down a freckled cheek.

Noctis opens his mouth to apologize, to beg forgiveness, a chance to explain—

But Prompto shakes his head—a quick, sharp motion—and refuses to meet the prince’s gaze.

“I didn’t invite you here,” he says quietly, sending cold daggers through Noctis’s very being. “…and I’d like you to leave.”

“Prom, I—“

Violet eyes turned on him then, pinning him down with hurt and rage and _betrayal._ “You what, Noct?”

The prince swallowed hard, searching his friend’s face and finding no forgiveness there. “I’ll see you at school on Tuesday.”

When Prompto said nothing, Noctis ducked his head and made his way out to the car, casting one last glance back before climbing in and the tinted windows hid him from view.

“Right, well I apologize to have met you under such circumstances.” Ignis frowned down at Prompto, who refused to look up from the spot on the carpet he had fixed his eyes upon.

“I’ll just gather the prince’s things.” He picked up Noctis’s discarded bag and went about quickly disconnecting the system from the television.

“It’s true, just so you know. I didn’t invite him over, he just showed up.”

Ignis nodded as he zippered the bag shut. “Yes, and had you not lied to me—“

“I didn’t lie to you. He wasn’t here when you texted. Also I didn’t know who you were, so even if he was here I wouldn’t have told you anyway because you could have been anyone.”

“Be that as it may, His Highness saw fit to flit over here in the middle of the night—“

“It’s not even ten o’clock.” Prompto corrects, but snaps his mouth shut as Ignis continues over the top of him.

“—without telling anyone, without answering my messages, and for what? To share his gaming systems with a school friend? Could you not have come to his apartment to play them? I understand you have the proper clearance for social visits.”

Several emotions worked their way across the boy’s face, but he finally settled on cold rage. “Wow, fuck you, dude.”

Indignant, Ignis pulled himself up to his full height and huffed down at the freckled youth. “I beg your pardon?”

“Yeah, you should be begging my pardon! First Noct shows up unannounced after I told him that I was studying and didn’t have time to hang—FYI I have a _job_ I have to get up for at five tomorrow morning—and he just _shows up_ and hooks up his shit and then _you_ just show up, and now here you are basically accusing me of taking advantage of him by being poor. Which, yeah, compared to the fucking prince I’m hella poor, but I don’t need his stupid game systems for entertainment—I’ve got my own _things_.”

Prompto was breathing hard and Ignis found himself deflating. What the boy said was essentially true. Before he could say anything further, however, Prompto was talking again.

“Please leave. I’ve already lost an hour,” he gestured to the study nest he had built that Ignis had failed to notice. “Maybe no one else cares about me, but _I_ care about me and I need to do well. I don’t have fancy tutors or _money_ to get me into college. I only got _me_.”

Ignis’s face burns in shame as he steps toward the door. He’d assumed the worst of this young man for essentially no other reason than the fact that he wasn’t a noble. He’d unwittingly let classism get the best of him. “Yes, of course. I do apologize—“

But Prompto just turned his back on the advisor and Ignis took it for the dismissal it was and made his way out to an idling car and sullen prince.

* * *

“…you sure you’re feeling alright, Kiddo?” Prompto’s dad asked after their conversation wound down. It was their usual Saturday check-in and the teen had been unusually quiet.

“I mean, I guess. I think I got in a fight with Noct. I dunno.”

“Aw I’m sorry to hear that. Anything I can help you with?”

“Nah, I can handle it. I mean I got to clean up my own messes, right?”

His father chuckled fondly on the other end of the line. “Yep, there’s no getting around that. But me and your mother are here for you when you need us.”

 _Yeah_ , Prompto hummed to himself, _that’s part of the problem. You’re_ there _instead of_ here.

But to his father he said that he knew and appreciated them and loved them and bid them goodnight.

* * *

Noon on Sunday couldn’t come fast enough. Prompto was so over his week and when the clock struck that glorious hour, he would be work-free for three whole days until his after-school shift at the neighborhood grocery.

He was lost in his own little world a few minutes before he was due off—the rush was finally over and he was just waiting for the next shift to come in—when the bell chimed signaling someone had entered the shop. “Welcome to Coffee Hut, what can I get started—“ Prompto glanced up at his customer, his automatic service-industry smile quickly fading.

Ignis stood before him, wallet in hand and expression unreadable. He quickly placed an order—one simple tall hot coffee with sugar and cream. Prompto expected as much.

When Prompto had finished the transaction and handed the advisor his receipt, Ignis cleared his throat looking a bit uncomfortable. “I was hoping that I could catch you at a convenient break time.”

Prompto shrugged, glancing at the clock on the computer. “I get off in ten minutes if you wanna wait. I don’t really have much to say to you though. I’m not apologizing.”

Ignis drew his lips in a tight line. “I wouldn’t expect you to. I’ll just wait over there,” he vaguely gestured to the pick-up end of the counter where Prompto’s coworker was attending the drink station, meandering that way once Prompto had nodded his agreement.

* * *

Prompto slid into the booth that Ignis had taken up residence in, plopping his own concoction—an off-the-menu item that tasted like butterscotch cheesecake—in front of him as he settled in for whatever Ignis had come to say.

The advisor took a long sip of his drink, wrinkling his nose a little at the taste. Prompto smirked but made no comment. He’d purposely let Lorelei make Ignis’s coffee because she was shit at it and could somehow manage to make even the simplest orders a disaster.

“I’ve come to apologize for my part in the incident that occurred Friday evening. What I said—what I _assumed_ —was uncalled for. It was not my finest hour.”

Prompto stared down into his cup, nodding along. “I mean, I get it I guess. I’m sure it looks pretty suspicious from where you’re standing. The Prince of Lucis friends with some nobody like me.” He chuckled humorlessly, picking at the little sticker on his cup indicating an employee purchase. “I mean, I don’t even get it most of the time.”

Ignis was silent for long moments. So long that Prompto began to shift so he could make an escape.

But, when he did finally speak his tone was low and controlled and it was very obvious that what he was about to say was upsetting to him.

“Noctis…” he began, but quickly stopped, taking another drink of his coffee to stall for time. He sighed, hunching his shoulders before leaning in a little and catching Prompto’s gaze with his own intense stare.

“What I am about to tell you is in the strictest of confidence. Can I trust you not to break it, even if you and Noctis decide to no longer be friends?”

Prompto’s throat immediately constricted. _No longer be friends_. That didn’t sit right with him at all. They’d had a fight, sure. Noctis said some shitty things and Prompto had maybe overreacted, but—

—but Ignis was staring at him expectantly.

“Uh, yeah of course, dude.” He blanched, realizing how _informal_ he was being with a high-ranking official of the government. Oh well.

Ignis seemed to pay it no mind. “A few years ago, Noctis was diagnosed with depression—“ Ignis stopped again, but if he was waiting for Prompto to respond, he would have to keep waiting. The blonde’s brows just knitted together as he continued to peel the sticker off his cup.

“—well, it’s getting to a point where I’m not sure how to assist him. I’m afraid he’s in a spiral. I attempted to talk to him on Friday evening after leaving yours, but he more or less ignored me. He wouldn’t allow me in his apartment and did not respond to any of my texts yesterday. I’m concerned that if this continues I’ll have to get his father involved and the king may revoke his allowance to live off-grounds.”

Prompto was still quiet for a few moments, having finally removed the offending sticker from his cup and was now scraping the sticky residue from his nails. “Have you tried…I dunno…leaving him alone? Maybe he just doesn’t want to talk to you.”

Ignis made a face like he was trying to not roll his eyes. “Yes, well that much is obvious. But, he did seek out _your_ company. Maybe you’re the one who can get through to him. At least convince him to talk to his father. Or load the dishwasher. Something.”

Prompto took several long pulls from his overly-sweet beverage. “I doubt he wants to see me after I practically threw you guys out of my house.”

“I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but I would consider it a personal favor if you would at least _try_ to get through to his highness. I’m deeply concerned about him.”

Prompto studied the advisor’s face, seeing nothing but worry there. He bit his lip before finally nodding. “I’ll see what I can do.”

* * *

**A Friend in Need**

Noctis has all but banned Ignis from his apartment, and he has a key anyway, so the prince has to actually drag himself out of bed to see who the guards let past them to dare come and knock on his door _at three pm on a Sunday._

He tips himself up to look through the peephole and leans bodily against the door for a second before shoring himself up enough to open it for his friend. Or so he hoped.

“Hey, Prom.” He mumbles, not meeting the other boy’s eyes. 

Bright as sunshine (damn him) and not missing a beat, the blonde pushes his way in and shuts the door gently behind him. “Heyaz, Noct! Thought I’d drop by and see how you’re doing. Iggy said—”

Noctis’s head snapped up at that, silencing Prompto with his stormy-eyed stare. “ _Iggy_? Since when are you two buddy-buddy?”

Prompto flailed a little, gesturing vaguely in the air. “Since like forever, dude. To know me is to love me.” He took Noctis by the arm and led him over to the couch, swiping an empty potato chip bag to the floor before depositing the prince on the plush cushions. 

Noctis just stared up at him in confusion.

Prompto rolled his eyes fondly. “Ok, fine, he came and saw me at work and said you were in a funk. Which is probably why you were being an unintentional asshole the other night.”

Noctis’s eyes knitted together. “You’re not mad at me?”

Prompto gave him a half smile and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “You want me to be mad at you?”

Noctis shrugged. “Kind of.”

Prompto nodded. “Ok, then I’m mad at you. What you said was really uncool, and you have to understand that you can’t just pop over to my house. But,” he held up a finger and gave Noctis a smile when he saw the raven-haired teen’s eyes start to well up and an apology form on his lips, “that doesn’t mean I can’t be here for you.”

Noctis didn’t look very convinced, but he nodded along anyway. “I guess.”

“Wait here.” Prompto held up his hands in a placating manner until Noctis gave him a nod, watching his friend curiously.

The blonde went to the hall closet and grabbed a few pillows and blankets, dropping them unceremoniously on the floor in front of Noct before whirling into the kitchen and clinking around in there, finally emerging with a plate of store-bought cookies and balancing two glasses of milk precariously in one hand. Somehow he makes it to the table without spilling and arranges everything in front of the prince. He beckons Noctis to stand, quickly wrapping a blanket around his shoulders and pushing him back down into the cushions, poking and tucking the loose ends until the prince was just a head and two hands sticking out of a mass of lush black fabric. 

Prompto hums to himself, surveying his work. Finding it unsatisfactory, he crams some pillows in around the prince until the other boy is undeniably comfortable. Finally, the blonde shoves one of the glasses of milk in the prince’s hands and quickly wraps himself up similarly in another blanket and scootches and scrunches and adjusts on the couch until he is also comfy. 

Grabbing the other glass of milk and the plate of cookies, he offers it to the prince who has no choice at this point but to take one and dunk it.

Prompto sits the plate on the table again, taking one for himself. “So, as I was saying, Iggy said you’re feeling a little down. What do you wanna do about that?”

Noctis chewed his cookie, not really sure what to say. “Uh…” he trailed off, shoving the rest of the cookie in his mouth.

Prompto chuckled. “It’s all good, bro. Look, I’m not sure what’s going on, and you don’t have to tell me or anything, but I can see you’re not yourself.”

Noctis suddenly found the crumb stubbornly floating at the top of his milk extremely interesting. 

“...I just figured that if you were gonna be sad, I could like...come keep you company in your sadness. We could just chill here and eat junk food and watch your fave movie or whatever.”

“So, you’re not here to yell at me about Friday? And not to cheer me up or tell me to get my shit together or whatever?”

Prompto burst into laughter, real genuine belly laughs that dragged Noct along their current until he was starting to smile, just a little. 

“Imagine that,” Prompto snickered, “ _me_ telling literally anyone on this planet to get _their_ shit together. Nah, bro,” he assures, snagging another cookie and dunking it into his cup. “I promise you that I just wanted to come keep you company. Make sure you’re properly hydrated and fed.”

Noctis was silent while Prompto finished his cookie, sitting his own cup to the side. When the other boy was done, he looked up almost shyly. “What if what I want to do is take a nap?”

Prompto grinned. “Well, that can be arranged. Let’s get you all tucked in and I can just hang out here for a bit or go home if you’d rather—”

The prince was quick to interject. “I’d rather you take a nap, too. With me. Like…” Noctis ducked down into his blanket-cocoon, shifting his gaze away from the blonde. “...like…” he couldn’t quite get the words out, but Prompto saved him the trouble. 

“Bro, if you are in need of cuddles, you have come to the right place! C’mon.” Prompto stood, helping Noctis to his feet and leading him back to the bedroom. He made no comment nor let his gaze linger too long on any of the random messes around the apartment, for which the prince was grateful. 

They settled in Noctis’s giant bed--a little more left than center, Prompto on his back and Noctis tucked into the boy’s side, both arms curled around his chest. Over the next few hours however, Noctis graduates from side-clinger to all-out octopus and has enveloped Prompto as much as his body will allow. 

For his part, the blonde lays as still as possible, other than where he gently ran his fingers soothingly over the arm that Noct has flung over top of him until he too drifts off to sleep.

The next morning they had a long talk about boundaries over left over pizza. Prompto even convinced Noctis to start a load of laundry _and_ a load of dishes while he cleaned off the living room tables and took out the trash.

But, mostly they just played video games all day.

* * *

**A Friend in Deed**

After that first bad fight, they fell into a rhythm. If Prompto needed space, Noctis respected that. If Noctis needed cuddles and reassurance to get through a dark patch, Prompto was there for him. Their senior year found both boys still spending most of their time together, never really bothering to branch out and make other friends. The few times they had, it ended in disaster.

Animis Ponuntur had been a pawn of his father, a council member trying to gain favor with the king. They’d hung out a bit, but it was fairly easy to see that he was not really interested in either boy or anything they liked. He didn’t even like _Astral Wars,_ for crying out loud.

Abigail and Isabel Lumbergh, beautiful twin girls that invited the boys to their sophomore formal, were both weirdly and grossly after Noct and had a plot to switch clothes in the ladies room halfway through the night so they could both make out with the prince. They both failed.

Timothy Cleary had actually been a plant from some weird occult group that thought Noctis was going to end the world. Their brief friendship had ended with Noct in stasis, Prompto in the hospital, and Timothy six feet under.

So by their senior year, the boys had a largely “live and let live” policy with the rest of the student body. Unfortunately some of the members of the basketball team didn’t seem to get that memo and occasionally tried to get a rise out of them. 

They’re heading to the waiting car when they pass the captain Carter Whitney, who shoulder-checks Prompto as he struts by.

“Oh no, that’s ok bro! No need to watch where you’re going or anything!” The blonde calls out as he rubs his shoulder. 

Meanwhile, the scent of ozone rolls off the prince as he follows the offender with a newly-crimson gaze. “Hey, come back here and apologize!”

“Noct!” Prompto hisses, but it’s no use. 

Carter whipped around, sizing them both up with an ugly smirk. “Aw, did I hurt the little cockwarmer’s feelings?”

Prompto has to physically stop Noctis from striding forward to likely punch the other boy. “Dude, it’s not worth it, don’t listen to him.”

“Yeah, Prince! Listen to him; he’s not worth it!” Carter grinned viciously. 

“Noct, seriously Iggy will have our heads if there’s a scandal. Let it go.”

The prince glanced between Prompto, Carter and back down the sidewalk to where the car is waiting and the driver has now gotten out of the vehicle and is approaching.

“Yeah, alright.” Noctis said with a final glare at Carter. They turned and headed toward the car, pointedly ignoring the other boy. 

Prompto refused his regular ride home and the next day at school showed up with a black eye and a crooked grin. 

When Noctis asked, Prompto just slyly said “you should see the other guy.”

And Noctis did see the other guy. His last period of the day was Advanced Political Debate and Carter Whitney was in attendance with two black eyes and a still-swollen lip.

Noctis was more than a little impressed. 

* * *

**_Back to today and on the other side of the city, Prompto is barely holding himself together. He’s exhausted—for the last two weeks he’s spent his daylight hours at one or the other of his two part time jobs, and his nights at the hospital with his father. He’s barely slept more than four hours straight in any one day between work and home and shower and hospital and cafeteria food and beeping machines and doctors and nurses and more doctors and shitty vending machine coffee…_ **

**_It’s catching up with him._ **

It started off as a cough.

Prompto’s parents had come home for the holidays during his senior year of high school. They were in good spirits, if a little travel-weary.

His mother had taken him to the side and told him that this year they were taking it easy. Since both of his parents worked a great deal outside of the city, they typically did a lot of family activities when they were all together. It was a yearly tradition to go downtown and watch the solstice parade, but this year they’d watch it as a family on the television.

By the end of the two-week stretch, his father was sleeping more than not, and his mother had grown quiet.

When spring break rolled around, it was time for his parents to come home again. Once more they stayed in rather than attend the spring concert series the citadel put on. They didn’t even go on their annual family picnic. His dad slept a lot.

No one had outright confirmed it at that point, but he’d figured it out.

His dad was dying.

* * *

“Hey, Old Man!” Prompto called with forced cheer as he shuffled into his dad’s hospital room, shaky hand clutching a Styrofoam cup of shitty coffee.

His father’s waxen features folded into a smile. “Hey, son. Y-you didn’t have to come here today. I know…it’s your only day off. You should spend…spend it with your friend. Or sleeping.”

Prompto’s reply was cut short by a medical team sauntering in and politely brushing him aside so they could get to his father’s bedside. A squat man in a lab coat waved to him, gesturing for him to come out in the hall.

“Are you Mr. Argentum’s son?” He asked, a curious quirk to his eyebrow.

Prompto nodded jerkily, breaking eye contact to glance back inside and watch the nurses work for a moment. “Y-yeah.”

“I’m Dr. Faber. I think we need to have a talk.”

* * *

Lung cancer; a fast acting type with no cure. It had quietly spread throughout his body until it had him at its mercy, and now it was systematically shutting down.

It was only a matter of days before it would take him. Maybe hours.

His father had never smoked a day in his life.

* * *

**_Prompto is no fool. He’s aware that the circumstances of his upbringing were not ideal. His parents traveled so often that he was left on his own much of the time. But, he never resented them. They did their best and they did what they had to and that’s all there was to it. He loves his parents and they love him. This and his friendship with Noct are the only things that he has to cling to, and losing one of his pillars is throwing his life into a tailspin._ **

“There’s not much more we can do than make him comfortable.”

Prompto startled a little at the doctor’s words. He swallowed hard, finally tearing his eyes away from his father who lay gaunt and pale under the harsh fluorescent lights of the intensive care unit.

“But…but my mom is going to be here in like a week. She—she couldn’t…she had to get a boat back from Accordo and it…it’s going to take time.”

The doctor frowned down at the blond boy before him. Barely out of highschool and the world upon his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Mr. Argentum. Your father signed a DNR; that means he’s made his decision and no longer wishes to fight the cancer. At the rate it’s going, it will likely kill him in a few days at most.”

Prompto shook his head, swallowing down the lump in his throat. “…but it was just a cold. He was fine! He had a checkup like six months ago and he was FINE. He…he just had a cough he couldn’t shake, how did this happen?”

The doctor straightened up, offering the boy a consoling pat on the shoulder. “Sometimes these things just strike out of the blue. Only the Six know why they decide to take a life when they do. It’s just his time, Prompto.”

“Can you…can you leave me alone with him for a while?”

The doctor nodded, giving the kid a pained smile. “Yes, of course.”

Once the door to the hospice room was closed, Prompto shuffled over and took his father’s hand in his own, squeezing it gently. “I dunno if you can even hear me, Dad, but…please hold on. I…I know this was your decision, but it’ll kill Mom if you leave and don’t give her a chance to say goodbye. You’ve been together so long. Please wait for her to get here.”

There was no response other than the stuttering rise and fall of the older man’s chest as his belabored breathing rushed in and out at smaller and smaller intervals.

* * *

They told him to go home. The prepwork they had to do to move him from the ICU to the hospice wing would take a few hours. They said Prompto could stay in the room with him, so he’d hurried home to take a quick shower and grab a few things. 

Staving off sleep on the Uber home, he drank more shitty coffee and scrolled through his messages for the third time that day.

(July 22nd)

Noctis→ lame council meetings are lame

Noctis→ can’t wait for a free weekend to just hang

Noctis→ if specs doesn’t kill me first

Hey sorry dude! Been super busy :( ←Prompto

Sucks 2 B U ← Prompto

Noctis → no worries, bro!

Noctis → all the matatas are hakuna'd

Noctis → I'll talk to you tomorrow!

Noctis → if Iggy let's me out of his sight

(today)

Noctis→ hey good morning, bro

Noctis→ where’s my cute dog pics, you’ve been slacking!

Prompto typed out a few messages then quickly deleted them. He knew he was being a shitty friend. He really wanted to reach out to Noctis; could see from his messages that his feelings were getting hurt. But Prompto couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He worried that coming to Noctis with this burden would be unfair. The prince had a lot more important things to worry about, so it would probably be best to just come to him about it once it was all over. It's not like there was anything he could do to save his dad. All he'd be doing is bringing him down when he's already stressed.

Not to mention Noctis was not a big fan of his parents. He didn’t think the prince would be a dick about it or anything, but he didn’t need to add that uncomfortable energy to his already overwhelming days. 

He dragged himself out of the Uber, giving the girl a cash tip as he lugged his bag out behind him. He startled when he saw a shadow in hovering in the doorway to his house, but relaxed when the lights of the car backing down the drive illuminated Noctis. 

The prince shuffled from foot to foot as he waited for Prompto to approach, a nervous smile on his face. 

“I hope it’s ok that I came by,” he said in a rush, quickly stepping aside to let Prompto unlock the door and let them in.

The blonde cleared his throat, not quite meeting the prince’s eyes. “Uh, not really. This is kind of a bad time—”

“I’ll only take a few minutes, I just..I just need to talk to you—”

Prompto pursed his lips, shaking his head. “No, Noct, I don’t have time for this. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He went to pass the other teen, but stopped when the prince reached out and almost touched him. 

His midnight eyes shone with hurt and it set off an entirely new ache in Prompto’s heart. Noctis’s chin trembled slightly as he took a shuddering breath. “Prom, what is your problem? You’ve been so distant, and I—I miss you and I just need to talk to you for just a few minutes, there’s so much—”

“I don’t have a few minutes!” Prompto snapped, brushing past him and taking the stairs two at a time as he all but ran away from his friend. 

He took a quick shower where he let out a few frustrated tears before shoving everything down once more so he could get back to where he needed to be. By his dad’s side.

He was a little angry (but not surprised) that Noctis was still downstairs when he came barreling down, trying to schedule a new Uber to come pick him up and take him back. 

“Prom?” Noctis asked tentatively from the living room. Letting out a slow breath, Prompto walked in, finally looking his best friend in the eye. 

Noctis had obviously been upset; his eyes were swollen and puffy, but the tears had been wiped away. He furrowed his brow, visibly swallowing before he spoke. “I..I’m worried about you.”

Prompto had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Is this what you came to talk to me about?”

“No, but then I got here and you...well you don’t look too great and now I’m worried about you and my thing seems a lot less important all of a sudden.”

And sure, Prompto could understand why Noctis might feel this way. He’d gotten a look at himself in the bathroom and saw how hollow his eyes looked, how exhaustion and grief just rolled off of him like an aura of tragedy. 

But right now, that statement did nothing but piss him off. 

And he was going to say as much too, but a sharp knock sounded at the door. 

Prompto gave Noctis an incredulous look before turning on his heel and opening the door to find Ignis on the other side. 

“Good evening, Prompto—” he started, but was quickly cut off. 

“Un-fucking-believable.” The blonde stepped aside and made a sweeping gesture in Noctis’s general direction. “He’s right over there.”

Ignis spared Prompto a slightly concerned once-over, but quickly strode to Noctis, stopping in front of where he stood by the coffee table. 

“Noctis, this is not the time nor the place to do whatever it is you’ve decided to do.”

The rage coming from Noctis was palpable. “I’m not going back with you until I’ve sorted things with Prompto. I’m staying right here.”

Prompto broke in with derisive scoff. “Oh no you’re not. I told you I don’t have the time, so if you two would kindly get the fuck out of my house, I will call you when I have the time and we can work out whatever this—” he gestures dramatically at Noctis’s entire being, “—is!”

The hurt is back on Noctis’s face, but so is some anger. “Dude, what the fuck is your problem?”

Prompto rears back as if struck. “My problem?” He laughs a little hysterically. “You wanna know what _my_ fucking problem is, Noct? My dad is dying. He’s like actively dying right fucking now and I need to get back to him so he doesn’t have to do it alone.” He’s breathing hard, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Is that a good enough reason to be busy, Noct? Huh? Is it ok with you that I’m a little bit fucking upset?”

Noctis blanches, breath catching in his throat for a moment too long. “Six, Prompto. I’m sorry to hear that. I had no idea he was even…if I’d have known—”

But the blonde lets out another one of those high-pitched laughs. “You’re so damn selfish, Noct. My dad is dying and you’re standing there making it about you.”

It’s Noctis’s turn to straighten up, biting back a little rage. “What else am I supposed to say? You didn’t bother to tell me about it, how the fuck was I supposed to know? I could have been there for you! I _want_ to be there for you, don’t you see that?”

Prompto sniffed, wrapping his arms around himself as he deflated from his outburst. Noctis was right; he hadn’t told him. It wasn’t his fault that this was happening. Everything was just so fucked up and he was so sad and stressed and he...he just wanted...

Prompto sniffed again, more loudly this time. “My dad’s dying.” He said it in a broken sob and launched himself at Noctis who wrapped him up and held him tight.

Ignis gently took his phone from him and canceled the Uber he’d ordered, telling Prompto that he’d drive him back to the hospital. Prompto went along with it, sitting apart from Noctis once they were in the car. He was a little embarrassed at his outburst, and honestly still a little pissed. 

That melted away somewhat as warm fingers made their way across the space between them to tangle with his own in a silent show of support. 

* * *

His dad’s awake when they get there, but he’s got the look of someone far away. Prompto approaches the bed with a nervous smile and no small amount of fidgeting.

The elder Argentum’s features are waxy and sallow, taking on a yellow hue now that his kidneys were shutting down. When he smiles it takes visible effort. He reaches a hand half heartedly toward his son, but the motion seems almost too much to complete and his arm flops down next to him. 

“H-hey, Dad.” Prompto smiles encouragingly, sitting next to his father on the bed and taking his hand in his own. The skin is tight and dry and Prompto idly wondered if it hurt. 

Probably not, he reasoned. The nurses had explained they’d be giving him heavy doses of morphine to keep him as comfortable as possible as he passed. 

“Kidd-o! Y’came back. Thought...told you to...your friend. Take a ..a night off from your old man.” 

Prompto let out a pained laugh. “Of course I came back. Mom won’t be here for a few days, so you need to take it easy, ok? We can hang out as a family once she gets here.”

His dad nodded, not even noticing as Ignis and Noctis entered the room behind Prompto. His eyes were for his son, only.

Prompto gave his father a crooked smile. “Gee, Old Man. You’re looking mighty yellow.” He said, trying to add a little levity. Death was no laughing matter, but when your organs are shutting down one by one, what else is there to do?

His father laughed, tugging his blanket up around his chest. “I feel mighty yellow, Son.”

They drifted into companionable silence and after a while, Prompto turned on a playlist he had made for his father a few years back with all his favorite old music on it. Mr. Argentum had already fallen into a fitful slumber, but he seemed to relax as the familiar tunes filled the air.

Noctis and Ignis kept a respectable distance; they were there to support Prompto and didn’t want to upset his father in any way by intruding on his last moments.

In the end, there were no final tearful goodbyes. No last minute advice, no messages to send, no dramatic proclamations. There was simply an exhale not followed by an inhale and that was that.

Ignis informed the nurses and Noctis stayed with Prompto, holding him until he was ready to go.

* * *

**_One month later finds Prompto readying to move into a studio apartment downtown. His mother had finally gotten to town two days after his father passed, and they spent a week together making decisions and arrangements and going through Mr. Argentum’s belongings. They’d held a small funeral and once that was done it was time for his mother to get back on the road. She had nothing tying her to the city now that Prompto was grown, so she opted to continue her work. His father had a sizeable insurance policy that they split 70/30 in his favor so that he didn’t have to work himself to death through college._ **

Noctis and Prompto are figuring out where to store his comics when the blonde finally brings it up. Luckily, Ignis and Gladio are currently out doing some shopping for Prompto’s kitchen, or the prince may have died in embarrassment.

“…so, the uh, the night that…you know.”

Noctis nodded along, already dreading knowing where this was going.

“Yeah, so what was it that you were coming to talk to me about? You seemed kind of upset.” Prompto’s carefully not looking at him, but Noctis knows that stacking short boxes does not require the amount of concentration that Prompto is putting into it.

He rubs the back of his head, sheepishly—briefly considers lying, but knows that’s not helpful in the long run.

So he tells him about the disastrous council meeting and how he basically ran away from it, followed by the story of when he _did_ come home and had to answer to his father.

The king had been more forgiving than Noctis had originally given him credit for, especially in light of what had transpired. He’d made it an official ruling that they could not discuss Noctis’s marital status in council again until after he’s turned 21. He was permitted to pursue or not pursue anyone he wished until that time, and when the time _did_ come his happiness would be taken into account.

Needless to say, Councilman Roth was none too pleased.

“Oh man, that all sounds terrible, Noct. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I totally understand the need to just…get away like you did.”

Noctis _could_ have stopped right there. He could have let it go at that and continued dancing around this feeling in his chest, but he frankly didn’t want to. So he took a deep breath and said, “but that’s not what I came to tell you.”

Prompto finally looks up from where he’s sorting a few loose comics. “Oh?”

Noctis’s mouth is dry. “Uh, yeah. I came to tell you that I think I like you. Like I like _like_ you. Like a lot.”

Prompto’s violet eyes go wide at that, and his features smooth out as understanding settles in. “ _Oh._ ”

Noctis waits several beats.

“Is that all you’re going to say? Should I not have told you? I always thought that maybe sometimes that you kinda liked me too, and—“

“Noct, you’re rambling and that’s totally my thing.”

“Well, you’re not helping the situation!”

Prompto laughs, and it’s the first real joy Noctis has heard from the other teen in a while. He joins in and soon they’re collapsed against one another on the floor, laughing and grinning and playfully shoving and then they’re kissing and falling into one another so naturally that it felt like they’d been doing it for years.

Ignis and Gladio find them tangled together on the floor, still flush from their impromptu make-out session, but now only holding hands and staring up at the ceiling.

The advisor eyes them for the span of a heartbeat. “Well, now that’s settled, what do you two want for dinner?”

They both yelled out options, but Ignis ignored them both in favor of fixing what he wanted. Gladiolus hung with him in the kitchen while he cooked, ostensibly to give the younger two more time to feel out this growing thing between them, but it was really so he could watch Ignis’s ass in the tight black slacks he was wearing. But that is a tale for another time.

* * *

**_To solve the heir problem, Noctis, Prompto and Luna make a deal and she bears them each a child. The first is a girl who inherits her father’s magic and midnight-colored eyes, and the second is a boy who inherits the gifts of the oracle and his father’s freckles._ **

**Author's Note:**

> In the scenes dealing with Prom's dad's death, I used the actual last words I ever spoke to my father, which were indeed "Gee old man, you're looking mighty yellow." to which he replied "I feel mighty yellow." 
> 
> I think that even though Prompto loved his parents, and it was a stressful event and everything that he'd recover a little more quickly than most. There's a big difference in the way you feel about the death of someone you see every day vs someone you see only ever so often. It's still devastating, but his whole upbringing has been about bouncing back and self-preservation. He's still got a long way to go, but Noct will help him get there. 
> 
> If you haven't noticed, unintentionally-classist-Iggy is a fave trope of mine to explore. I adore him and he basically embodies perfection, so I like to give him a little opportunity for growth in my fics. No one is free of unintentional assholery, even the nicest, most put-together among us. Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!


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